U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,084 (Deike) discloses a portable light weight robot arm assembly simulating shoulder, elbow, and wrist movements of a human arm, plus extensions of the upper arm and forearm, accurately positions and holds a power tool for performing driving, drilling, chipping, lifting and the like operations at a work-site. The assembly is self contained having a base easily and quickly mounted on a conventional truck or on the ground at the work-site, a carriage shiftable longitudinally and transversely on the base, an upright pedestal tiltable in all planes relative to the base, an extensible boom or upper arm rotatably and swingably mounted on the pedestal, and an extensible power tool suspension arm or forearm pivoted to the upper arm. Hydraulic jacks control the lowering, raising, and extension of the boom, the tilting of the pedestal, the positioning of the carriage, the extension and positioning of the forearm, and the position of the tool. An hydraulic motor controls the rotation of the pedestal and a hydraulic motor can also operate a winch on the boom. The jacks and motor are selectively activated from a portable station, such as a hand held switch unit, permitting freedom of movement of the operator to best observe the work. The upper arm is swung and tiltable about its shoulder on the pedestal and extended or retracted to position its outer end or elbow. The forearm is suspended on the elbow to position the tool, extended to load the tool, and the tool is held by the wrist end of the forearm in its desired position on the work.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,165 (McGivery) discloses a system and method of cutting a core out of a finished surface for keyhole excavation, using a truck with a turret to which a support arm supporting the cutter assembly is mounted, and a stabilizing member remote from the turret, which allows the turret to be rotated about its complete arc of motion while stabilizing the support arm at any desired position about the truck. In a first embodiment the invention comprises an upstanding support rim affixed to or integrated into the bed of the truck. In a further embodiment the invention comprises a support member affixed to the horizontal arm and supported by the truck bed. This is disclosed as making the keyhole excavation procedure safer and more precise, and allowing a larger-depth cutting head to be used in order to penetrate thicker finished surfaces. In the preferred embodiment the cutter head is provided with a pilot which creates a pilot hole in the core that may facilitate removal, manipulation and replacement of the core, and may improve the integrity of the reinstated core.
United States Patent Publication No. 20080277131 (Pollock) discloses an excavation apparatus that includes a support structure mountable to a truck bed, the support structure defining a longitudinal direction extending front-to-back of the truck bed, and a lateral direction extending side-to-side of the truck bed. The apparatus further includes a rotary spindle pivotably supported by the support structure at a first pivot joint defining a generally horizontal first pivot axis, the spindle extending lengthwise along a spindle axis and rotatable thereabout for driving a cutting head; the spindle pivotable about the horizontal first pivot axis between a stowed position wherein the spindle axis is generally horizontal, and a deployed position wherein the spindle axis is generally vertical. The support structure includes a first adjustment device for adjusting the position of the spindle in the longitudinal direction when deployed, and a second adjustment device for adjusting the position of the spindle in the lateral direction when deployed.